OPERATOR ESSENTIALS

What every operator should know

about trickling filters
Greg Farmer
Knowledge

Principle

Practical considerations

History

The technology was developed in the U.S.

and Great Britain in the 1890s. The first U.S.
installation was in Madison, Wis., in 1901.

Trickling filters became the dominant secondary treatment process in the

U.S. by the 1950s. Trickling filters fell out of favor in the 1970s when the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued its definition of secondary
treatment standards activated sludge was better able to meet the new
standards.
Improvements in secondary clarifier design and the introduction of
coupled processes such as trickling filter/solids contact and
nitrifying trickling filters have led to a resurgence of the technology.

System
components

Distribution system: provides for even distribution

of wastewater over the media.

Rotary distributors can be hydraulically or mechanically driven. Modern

hydraulic and electric drives provide the ability to control rotational speed.

Containment structure: provides structural support

to contain the media within the bioreactor.

For containment, precast concrete panels or tanks typically are used. If

flooding ability is desired for macro fauna control, then post-tensioned
tanks are required.

Filter media: Rock media commonly are found in

older trickling filters. Almost all new installations
use plastic media.
Rock media are more likely to plug due to smaller
voids, which also restrict airflow. Plastic media,
available as cross-flow or vertical, provide for better
oxygen transfer, and are lighter than rock, so media
can be deeper. Vertical-flow media are used in
roughing and industrial applications.
Underdrain: collects treated wastewater and
creates a plenum that facilitates oxygen transfer
throughout the trickling filter.
Ventilation: Trickling filters for biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) removal and nitrification are
aerobic processes and require air exchange to
sustain aerobic conditions.

Media types

Advantages

Disadvantages

Rock

Vertical flow

Cross flow

Longest-lasting

Least likely to
plug

Redistributes
wastewater

Use of local
materials possible

Best ventilation

Higher hydraulic
retention time

Poor ventilation

Higher in cost

High flushing
rate necessary to
minimize nuisance
organisms

Redistributes
wastewater
only at module
interface

Increase in
density may result
in reduced oxygen
transfer and
increased biofilm
thickness

Note: Some trickling filters have used a combination of vertical-flow and

cross-flow media; these are referred to as mixed-flow media.
The space between the media and the bottom of the containment
structure is the underdrain. A larger area promotes better air distribution.
Older trickling filter installations use passive ventilation resulting from a
difference in ambient air temperature inside and outside of the trickling
filter. When temperatures are near equal, air movement stops.
Modern trickling filters are covered and equipped with forced-air ventilation
systems using low-pressure fans to maintain air movement at all times. The
exhaust air typically is treated in chemical scrubbers to minimize odors.

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Knowledge

Principle

Practical considerations

How it works

The basic concept of trickling filters is to provide a

surface on which microbial films grow.

Wastewater containing necessary nutrients intermittently passes over

the microorganisms to grow a biofilm on media. Nutrients diffuse into the
biofilm and are metabolized by the stationary (fixed) microorganisms.

Microorganisms use contaminants in wastewater

as nutrients to sustain growth and oxygen for
respiration.
Expected
performance

Rotational
speed/flushing
intensity

Most trickling filters are designed to remove

carbonaceous BOD (CBOD) and/or nitrogen.

Distributor-arm rotational speed regulates flushing

intensity.
Maintaining a relatively slow rotational speed and
high flushing intensity offers several benefits, such
as biofilm thickness control, macro fauna control,
and increased wetting efficiency.
Generally, the higher the organic loading, the
greater the flushing intensity required.

Carbon-oxidizing trickling filters utilize heterotrophic bacteria.

Nitrifying trickling filters utilize autotrophic bacteria.

Filter type

Organic loading
(lb BOD per
1000 ft3 per day)

Percent soluble
CBOD/ammonia
nitrogen removal

Media
suitability

Roughing filters

100220

50% to 75%

Vertical flow,
mixed flow

Carbon oxidizing
filters

2060

Up to 90%

Vertical flow,
cross flow

Combined BOD
and nitrification
filters

520

< 10 mg/L soluble

CBOD
< 3 mg/L
ammonia

Cross flow,
standard
or medium
density

Nitrification filters

< 20 mg/L or
filter will fail

< 3 mg/L
ammonia

Cross flow,
medium or
high density

Although many trickling filters have hydraulically driven distributors, some

distributors are equipped with mechanical or other speed controls. As a
result, distributors previously operated at 30 seconds to 2 minutes per
revolution. Speed-control distributors now often allow normal operational
speeds ranging from 4 to 10 minutes per revolution. More importantly,
many speed-control distributors allow specifying a regular (daily or
weekly) flushing speed that may slow the distributor to more than 60
minutes per revolution.
The combination of slow distributor speed and pumped flow results in
dosing rates sometimes referred to as Spulkraft that are much
higher than previously possible. Suggested dosing rates which vary
with media type, depth, and loading for normal operation range from
25 to 200 mm (1 to 8 in.) per pass; suggested flushing rates range from
100 to 600 mm (4 to 24 in.) per pass.

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Knowledge Principle

Practical considerations

Macro fauna

Many problems associated with macro fauna can be controlled by increasing flushing
intensity. Snail-control mechanisms include filter flooding either alone or with the
addition of sodium hydroxide to raise pH or maintaining high concentrations of
ammonia, which is toxic to snails.

Snails are the No. 1 reported predator

within trickling filters.
Detrimental effects of snail infestations
include grazing of nitrifying biofilm and
accumulation in aeration basins, process
channels, and digesters. Trickling filters with
higher organic loading rates typically do not
undergo problems with snails.

Some facilities have developed snail traps to contain and remove snails from trickling filter
effluent lines and aeration tanks.

Filter (Psychoda) and crane flies (look like

large mosquitoes) lay eggs on the media.
The larvae graze on the biofilm.
Recirculation
and hydraulic
wetting

The ability to recirculate flow to the trickling

filter can be used to increase oxygen or
ensure good wetting of the media.

Recirculation provides the ability to maintain a consistent flow to the trickling filter during
diurnal flow variations, provides for consistent rotation speeds for hydraulically driven
distributor arms, and maintains proper wetting rates.

The hydraulic wetting rate is the application

rate of wastewater to the trickling filter,
including recirculation, expressed as gal/
minft2.

Low wetting rates can result in nonuniform application of wastewater and unwetted areas
that can attract snails and filter flies. Biofilm that is not wetted continuously and supplied
with food from the wastewater becomes ineffective. The typical suggested hydraulic
wetting rate range for BOD removal systems is 30 to 40 L/minm2 (0.75 to 1.0 gal/
minft2). For nitrification systems, the range is 30 to 80 L/minm2 (0.75 to 2.0 gal/minft2).
For speed-controlled distributors, the introduction of regular flushing of the trickling filter
and improved wetting through high instantaneous dosing rates make past criteria for
hydraulic wetting and recirculation of secondary or little concern. Operators should track
the past criteria but may find better operation by establishing a good dosing program.

Greg Farmer is a process specialist at the Littleton/Englewood (Colo.) Wastewater Treatment Plant.

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